The present invention generally pertains to data processing and is particularly directed to an improvement in governing the delivery of files from object data bases to a user terminal via a network interface.
In the prior art, an object data base includes objects in a format of information content components, context information pertaining to linkages between the information content components and processing instructions for manipulating the information content components and the context information in such a manner as to facilitate efficient retrieval of the information content components and the context information from the object data base. The context information (a) identifies the information content components that are linked, (b) defines the relationship between the linked content components, such as relationships analogous to parent, child, sibling, external or contained, (c) identifies the defined relationship, and (d) identifies the locations in the object data base of the content components having the defined relationship. Accordingly, objects may be organized in an object data base for retrieval in an abstract manner that resembles the way in which the information content components thereof are realized in the real world. An object data base is well suited for complex objects, such as bill-of-materials hierarchies and multimedia BLOBS (binary large objects).
Object data bases contained in prior art information servers may be accessed indirectly or directly by a user terminal through a communication network, such as the Internet or a private communication network, and a file-delivery-governing system that connects the information server to a network interface for the communication network. A prior art system for governing delivery of object files to a user terminal via a network interface from an object data base contained in an information server responds to receipt of a user-terminal request for delivery of a selected object file containing at least one selected information content component and the context information pertaining to the linkages of the selected information content component(s) by providing to the user terminal via the network interface a pointer to the selected object file that enables the user terminal to obtain delivery of the selected object file from the information server via the network interface.